Fire-alarm signal



('No Model.) a Sheets- Shea; '1.

W; J. KEENAN & E. M-WILSON- FIRE ALARM SIGNAL.

No. 333,131. Patented Dec. 29, 1885.

(No Model.) I 3 Sheefis-Sheet 2. W. J. KEENAN 8113. M. WILSON.

I I FIRE ALARM SIGNAL. No. 333,131. Patented Dec. 29,1885.

WITNESSES: H 5. INN/ENTERS (No Model.) 3 sneets-sneeu 3.

' W. J-. KEENAN & E.- 'M. WILSON.

FIRE ALARM SIGNAL.

N0. 333,131. Patented D60. 29, 18-85.

Ii. PETERS. Fheko-Lilhwfiraphun Washington, D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM J. KEENAN, OF BOSTON, AND EUGENE M. WILSON, OF WVORGESTER,

MASSACHUSETTS.

FIRE-ALARM SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 333,131, dated December29, 1885.

Application filed May 17, 1884. Serial No. 131,829. (No model.)

IO tric signaling apparatus known as fi re-alarm telegraphs, and has forits object to dispense with the batteries working on a closed circuit,which are usually employed, and to substitute therefor amagneto-generator placed in each of the call-boxes, and provided withcircuit making and breaking apparatus driven by a motor and formed to beoperated automatically after being wound up by the operator. Thus weavoid the expense and uncertainty attending the use of batteries.

Our improvements relate wholly to the apparatus employed in thecall-box, and in no way affect the central-office apparatus, which maybe of any well-known form. 7

Our invention is fully set forth in the following specification and theaccompanying drawings, which show the apparatus contained in a box ofabout the size commonly used for fire-alarm call-boxes.

0 Figure l is an end elevation of our apparatus without the protectingcase. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line Y Z, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is asection on line X X, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a diagram of connections. Fig. 5is a detached 5 view showing the arrangement of the weight supportingcord.

The same letters of reference indicate same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, A is a base, to which is se cured the magneto-generatorB, and to the shaft of said generator is secured a wheel, B, meshinginto gear 0, and a pinion, C, on the shaft of said gear is engaged bygear D,which latter is affixed to its shaft D. The genera- 5 tor Bisprovided with a commutator or polechanger of the usual form, and isadapted to give uniform currents of definite direction as long asoperated, being thus the equivalent of a battery.

\Ve have here shown the generator as having the well-known Siemensarmature of the H form, and thus having only one coil wound thereon. Itmay be found in practice that more than one coil will give betterresults, although in our experiments, which have been conducted with anarmature of this form, we have found the current practically uniform, atleast for all of the purposes of this invention.

A drum, E, fitted to turn loosely on shaft D, (like a loose pulley,) isarranged to wind a cord, E, upon itself when said drum is turned in thedirection shown by the arrow by means of the crank D. A ratchet-wheel, Dis secured to drum E, and allows the drum to be turned independently inthe one direction to wind up the cord E,but looks it with wheel D as itis turned in the other direction, by means of a click, D, 011 saidwheel, which looks into the teeth of said ratchet, as shown. A weight,

F, is attached to cord E, and a system of pulleys, F, over which saidcord passes, as shown, reduces the distance of the fall of the weight ina well-known manner, and renders the ap paratus more compact with agiven amountof cord wound on the drum.

If, as in the normal position of the apparatus, the cord E be unwoundfrom the drum E, it will be seen that by turning handle D in thedirection of the arrow in Fig. 3 the cord will be wound onto thedrum,while the ratchet D and click D will not allow the wheel D toparticipate in the motion of the drum, but on the release of said handlethe ratchet F will tend to cause the drum E and shaft D to move in thereverse direction, and at the same time click D will lock ratchet D andwheel D together and cause wheel D to revolve, carrying with it wheel 0,and thus the armature of the magneto Bwill be revolved with a speedmultiplied by the train through which the motion has been transmittedfrom drum E. One effect of this arrangement will be to give a veryuniform speed to the armature of generator B. A pinion, K, Figs. 2 and3, is also secured to shaft D, and meshes intoa wheel, K, secured to ashaft, K A circuit-wheel, G, is also secured to shaft K", and has anumber of contact points, G, on its circumference, (best shown -in Fig.4,) which are arranged to make contact with a spring, G. Thesecontactpoints are arranged to transmit groups of impulses in the usualmanner in fire-alarms, here two impulses, a pause, and then fiveimpulses, representing twenty-five, and this is repeated three timesduring a revolution, and the ,circuit from the generator is passedthrough said circuit-wheel, as shown in Fig. 4, in which current passesfrom one pole of the generator through spring Z to line, and is shuntedby wire 4 to spring 0; thence, when said spring makes contact with oneof the segments 0 on circuitwheel G, the current passes through saidwheel by wire 6 to the other pole, Z, ofthe generator, thusshort-circuiting theinstrument, the wheel G being connected through itsshaft to the generator. The spring G is connected by wire 5 through asignal-bell with the line and with the spring Z. \Vhen the spring Gmakes contact with one of the projections G", the circuit is closedthrough the wire 5, the signalbell, line, spring Z, generator, spring Z,line 6, and wheel G, and at the time that the circuit is completed inthis way said generator is operative. Said bell will be sounded as oftenas a projection, G", makes contact with spring G.

As circuit-wheel G must always start from a perfectly definite point,and after weight F has stopped descending, owing to the cord on drum Ehaving been all unwound, the momentum of the parts will not allow thestoppage of the train and circuit-wheel to be instantaneous. I providemeans for causing said wheel to always stop in the same position.

A rock-shaft, L, pivoted between blocks L, has secured to it an arm, M,which is engaged by a pin, M, on circuit-wheel G, and the 1110- tion ofsaid wheel is thereby arrested at the startingpoint. (See Fig. 3.) Alever, M also secured to shaft L, is arranged to be depressed by theoperator, and thereby arm M is moved out of engagement with pin M, andwheel G is free to move. Aspring, M", raises said lever, and therebymoves arm M into the path of pin 31 whenever said lever is not depressed, as hereinbefore described.

Owing to the attraction of the field-magnets for the armature, it isbetter that the generator receive an initial impulse to insure itsstarting. To this end a catch, N, is secured at one end to arm N, whichis secured to shaft L, and the other end of said catch is formed toengage the teeth of wheel 0, so that the depression of lever M willcause the said catch to lock into the teeth of wheel 0, and turn it ashort distance, but far enough to set the machine in motion, as whenonce set in motion there will be no further difficulty.

The operation of the apparatus is very simple. The apparatus is supposedto be lo cated in any convenient locality, as are the ordinary boxes nowin use, and the bell or receiving apparatus is in the central station orany other desired locality. In case of fire,

the weight having been previously wound up, the person giving the alarmdepresses the lever M", thus releasing wheel G, and giving wheel 0 theslight impulse, as above described. Weight F will then descend at auniform speed, operating the generator B, as hereinbefore stated, thegenerator by the action of circuit-wheel G sending a definite series ofimpulses to line, according to the number and arrangement of thecontact-points if on wheel G. This will ring the hell or operate theregister in the receivingstation precisely as is done in the systems nowin use. After the alarm has been given the weight will be wound up bythe rotation of the crank 13 in the direct-ion indicated by the arrow inFig. 3.

It is well known that a magneto-generator requires much less power todriveit when the circuit through it is not closed than it does when thecircuit is closed, and this tends to produce irregularity in the motionof our apparatus, as when the circuit is broken by wheel G the machinewill increase its speed, and perhaps cause the impulses to be sent sorapidly as to become confused. To avoid this source of error,we secureto the side of wheel G a series of metallic segments, 0, in a circleconcentric with said wheel, said segments coinciding with the spacesbetween the different. series of teeth G-"that is, between each seriesof teeth that gives a complete signal and the next series ofteeth thatrepeats the signal. A spring, 0, is arranged to make contact with saidseg ments, as is best shown in Fig. 4, when wheel G rotates. Thesegments are so arranged that when the contact between spring Gand theprojections G on wheel G is broken atthe same time contact betweensegments 0 and spring 0 is formed; and as spring 0 is connected withwire 4, Fig. 4, this will close a local circuit through said wire 4,wheel, wire 6, and generator, as before explained. As the generator willthus be short-circuited upon itself, theload will be increased ratherthan decreased, and there will be no sudden increase of speed todecrease the time between signals, as might happen without this device.

Although we have referred to the use of a magnetogenerator in connectionwith ourapparatus, any of the wellknown forms of dynaino-generatorsmight be used as well and without departing from the working principleof our invention. It is obvious that by the use of a weight to drive theapparatus we avoid any of the sources of failure which might occur withapparatus driven directly by crank, as both a uniform speed is given tothe circuit-wheel and the generator is driven at a uniform speed. Thislatter feature is of importance, as to operate the register commonlyused in central fire-alarm stations to record the call, it is necessaryto have a much more uniform current than would be necessary to merelyring a bell, as the power required is much more in the ease with theregister, and without some means of securing a perfectlysteady currentthe register might fail to record the call with accuracy.

Although we have described our apparatus as a fire-alarm telegraph, wedo not confine ourselves to this application, but may apply it to otherpurposes, such as telephonic signals, &c.

We claim 1. In an electric signaling apparatus, the combination, with amagneto-electric generator, a circuit-wheel arranged to transmitelectrical impulses in a definite order, and a mechanically-impelledmotor operating both the generator and circuit-wheel, of a shaftcarrying both locking and starting levers for said motor, adapted tooperate both levers simultaneously, substantially as described.

2. In an electric signaling apparatus, the combination, with amagneto-electric generator, a circuit-wheel, and a motor, of a shafthaving an arm rigidly attached thereto, arranged to normally engage withand stop the motor, another arm also secured to the shaft, carrying apawl arranged to engage with and to give an initial impulse to themotor, and a lever connected to said shaft, the arrangement being suchthat when the lever is operated the motor-train is released and aninitial impulse given to the motor, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a generator, a motor connected to and operatingsaid generator by a train of gears, a circuit-breaking wheel also drivenby the motor through the generator, a spring-actuated shaft carrying atone end an arm arranged to engage with the circuit-breaker wheel to stopthe generator and motor, and a pawl at the other end ofthe shaftarranged to engage with the gear operating directly with thegenerator-shaft, whereby a slight movement of the shaft willsimultaneously unlock the gear and give an initial motion to thegenerator sufficient to overcome its resistance, substantially asdescribed.

4:. The combination, with a motor consisting of a drum, a cord fixed atone end and passing over aseries of fixed and movablepulleys andconnected to the drum, and a weight connected to the movable pulleys,agenerator, and a train of gears connecting the drum to thearmature-shaft of the generator, a circuitbreaking whee1,and gearsconnecting the shaft of the generator and wheel, and a shaft carryingboth a stopping device and a starting device for the motor, adapted tobe operated simultaneously, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a magneto-electric generator, acircuit-controlling wheel, a signal device, and a motor actuating saidgenerator and wheel and two circuits through the controlling wheel,substantially as described,

whereby the circuit of the generator is closed,

except when broken by the action of the wheel, as set forth.

6. The combination, in an electric signaling apparatus, of a wheel, G,having apin, M, the wheel 0, the shaft L, carrying arm M, arranged tolie in the path of the pin, and pawl N, arranged to engage the teeth ofwheel 0, whereby the mechanism may be released and a slight movementgiven thereto at one and the same time, substantially as described.

7. In an electric signaling apparatus, the combinatiomwith amagneto-electric generator and a signaling-instrument, of an independentcircuit-controlling wheel having contacts to send signals of apredetermined character by alternate breaks and makes, and contacts toshortcircuit the machine when not transmitting the signals,substantially as described.

8. In an electric signaling apparatus, the combination of amagneto-electric generator, a toothed circuit-wheel, a motor actuatingsaid generator and wheel, a series of metallic segments on said wheelcoinciding with the spaces between the series of teeth, acontact-spring, and connections, as described, whereby the generator isshort'circuited when the l1ne-circuit is broken, as set forth.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 15th day of May, 1884.

WILLIAM J. KEENAN. EUGENE M. WILSON. Witnesses:

O. F. BROWN, A. L. WHITE.

